Unlock Neovim’s full power with these must-know commands and optimize your API development workflow with Apidog—an efficient Postman alternative designed for modern engineering teams.
What Is Neovim? A Modern, Extensible Text Editor for Developers
Neovim is a powerful, open source text editor built as a modernized fork of Vim. Designed for developers and power users, Neovim preserves Vim’s legendary modal editing—where you efficiently switch between navigation, editing, and selection modes—but adds a cleaner codebase, enhanced asynchronous plugin support, and native integration with tools like language servers (LSP) and Lua scripting.
Neovim’s extensibility and performance have made it a top choice for backend engineers, API developers, QA specialists, and anyone seeking a streamlined, keyboard-driven editing experience. By supporting advanced plugin architectures, built-in terminal emulation, and robust customization, Neovim can be tailored into a complete development environment for any workflow.
Supercharge API Development in Neovim with Apidog
If you frequently work with APIs while coding in Neovim, integrating the right tools in your workflow is crucial. 
Apidog is a comprehensive API development platform that seamlessly complements Neovim. Designed for professional developers, Apidog enables you to design, debug, test, and document APIs—all in one place. Its streamlined interface, powerful automated testing, and built-in mock servers help you manage complex API projects efficiently.
Whether you’re migrating Postman collections or starting fresh, Apidog’s compatibility and team collaboration features make it ideal for API-focused engineering teams. 
Why Choose Neovim? Key Benefits for Professional Developers
1. High Performance & Responsive Editing
- Asynchronous I/O keeps Neovim fast, even with large files or heavy plugins.
- Modal editing reduces repetitive finger movement, minimizing fatigue and speeding up complex edits.
2. Deep Customization & Extensibility
- Fine-tune every aspect, from keybindings to visuals.
- Powerful plugin ecosystem (Lua/Vimscript) lets you transform Neovim into an IDE, writing environment, or API client.
3. Transferable, Future-Proof Skills
- Vim-style editing is available in many popular IDEs (VS Code, IntelliJ, etc.).
- Mastering Neovim increases your productivity across platforms and tools.
4. Minimal Resource Usage
- Starts instantly and consumes little memory.
- Ideal for remote servers, containers, or low-powered devices.
5. Vibrant Open Source Community
- Active plugin development for everything: fuzzy search, git, LSP, syntax highlighting.
- Transparent, community-driven roadmap—no vendor lock-in.
How to Install Neovim on Windows, macOS, and Linux
Windows
- With Windows Package Manager:
winget install Neovim.Neovim - Chocolatey:
choco install neovim - Scoop:
scoop install neovim - Manual:
- Download the latest release from the Neovim GitHub page.
- Extract to a folder (e.g.,
C:\Program Files\Neovim). - Add
bindirectory to your PATH. - Verify with:
nvim --version
macOS
- Homebrew:
brew install neovim - MacPorts:
sudo port install neovim - Manual:
- Download the macOS archive from the Neovim GitHub releases.
- Move to
Applications. - Optionally add an alias:
alias nvim='/Applications/Neovim.app/Contents/MacOS/nvim'
Linux
- Ubuntu/Debian:
sudo apt update sudo apt install neovim - Fedora:
sudo dnf install -y neovim python3-neovim - Arch Linux:
sudo pacman -S neovim - Build from Source:
git clone https://github.com/neovim/neovim cd neovim make CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=RelWithDebInfo sudo make install
Verifying the Installation
Open a terminal and run:
nvim --version
To start Neovim:
nvim
Getting Started: Initial Neovim Configuration
Neovim looks for configuration files in:
- Windows:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\nvim\ - macOS/Linux:
~/.config/nvim/
Create an init.vim (Vimscript) or init.lua (Lua) in this directory. A minimal init.vim might look like:
" Basic Neovim settings
set number
set relativenumber
set expandtab
set tabstop=4
set shiftwidth=4
set autoindent
set smartindent
set termguicolors
As you grow comfortable, add plugins and custom mappings to fit your workflow.
The Ultimate Neovim Command Cheat Sheet: 100 Commands for Productivity
Below is a categorized list of 100 essential Neovim commands, carefully selected to streamline your workflow as a developer. Mastering these will dramatically boost your speed and editing precision.
Navigation
h,j,k,l– Move cursor left, down, up, rightw,W– Next word/WORDb,B– Previous word/WORDe,E– End of word/WORD0,^,$– Start/first non-blank/end of linegg,G,{number}G– First, last, or specific line{,}– Previous/next paragraph or code blockCtrl-u/d– Up/down half a screenCtrl-b/f– Up/down full screenzz,zt,zb– Center, top, bottom of screen
Editing
i,I,a,A– Insert modeso,O– New line below/abover,R– Replace character/modex,X– Delete char under/before cursordd,{number}dd,D– Delete line(s)/to end of lineyy,{number}yy,y$– Yank line(s)/to end of linep,P– Paste after/beforeu,Ctrl-r– Undo/redo~– Toggle case under cursor>>,<<– Indent/unindent.– Repeat last commandcc,cw,c$– Change line/word/to end of lineJ– Join lines
Search & Replace
/pattern,?pattern– Search forward/backwardn,N– Repeat search*,#– Search for word under cursor:%s/old/new/g– Replace all in file:%s/old/new/gc– Replace all with confirm:s/old/new/g– Replace on current line:noh– Clear highlightgd,gD– Go to local/global definition
Visual Mode
v,V,Ctrl-v– Character, line, block selectiongv– Reselect last visualo,O– Move to other end/corner of selectionaw,ab,aB,at– Select word, block, braces, tags
File Operations
:e filename– Open file:w,:w filename– Save, Save As:q,:q!,:wq,:x– Quit, quit without saving, save & quit:saveas filename– Save as new file:r filename– Insert file contents:r !command– Insert shell command output
Windows & Tabs
:split,:vsplit– Split windowCtrl-w h/j/k/l– Move between windowsCtrl-w +/-/</>– ResizeCtrl-w =,Ctrl-w o– Equalize, only this window:tabnew,gt,gT,:tabclose,:tabonly– Tabs
Buffer Management
:ls– List buffers:b number– Switch buffer:bn,:bp– Next/previous buffer:bd– Delete buffer:bufdo command– Run command on all buffers:e #– Switch to alternate file
Marks & Jumps
m{a-z}– Set mark (file-local)m{A-Z}– Global mark'{mark},{mark}– Jump to line/position of markCtrl-o,Ctrl-i– Jump backward/forward in jump list'.,., – Last change
Text Objects & Motions
ci(,di",yi]– Change/delete/yank inside delimitersva{,dap,cit– Select around braces/paragraph/tagdiw,daw,dab,daB– Delete inside/around word/block/braces
Folding
zf– Create foldzo,zc,za– Open/close/toggle foldzR,zM– Open/close all foldszj,zk– Next/previous fold
Neovim-Specific Features
:terminal,:term– Open integrated terminalCtrl-\ Ctrl-n– Exit terminal to normal mode:checkhealth– Diagnostics:lua require('telescope.builtin').find_files()– Telescope find files:TSInstall language– Treesitter parser install:LspInfo– LSP status:TSBufToggle highlight– Toggle Treesitter highlighting:highlight– Show highlight groups:Tutor– Interactive tutorial:help nvim-features– Neovim features help
Advanced Commands
q{a-z},@{a-z},@@– Record/play macrosg&– Repeat last substitution everywhere:norm cmd– Run command on linesgf– Go to file under cursorCtrl-a,Ctrl-x– Increment/decrement number:sort– Sort lines!motion command– Filter text with shell command
Conclusion: Master Neovim, Streamline Your API Workflow
Neovim offers unmatched speed and flexibility for technical teams and solo engineers alike. By mastering the command set above, you’ll unlock a new level of productivity—especially when combined with a powerful API tool like Apidog.
Apidog naturally fits into a Neovim-powered workflow, letting you handle API design, testing, and documentation without leaving your preferred environment. Its compatibility with Postman collections and intuitive interface help teams focus on shipping robust APIs faster.
Whether you’re coding, documenting, or debugging APIs, Neovim and Apidog together provide a fast, efficient, and adaptable workflow tailored for professional developers.
Happy editing!
